One of the stories of Austin College is survival. 1918 is a good example. Enrollment was down because of the Great War. Budgets were tight. Layoffs were common and programs of study were reduced. The fall semester of 1918 began with unpleasant news. John Morgan Currie, captain of Roo football in 1916, was killed in action in France.
But brighter days were around the corner. The school celebrated Armistice Day in November, and the end of the war meant the boys would soon be back home from Europe. 1918 was also the first year of enrollment for women, a wise and just decision by AC administration in the face of declining enrollment and activism by women in the community.
The war years had taken a toll on AC athletic performance. Gone were the legendary football and baseball seasons of 1911-1913, as well as the iconic players who suited up. In 1917, as America mobilized for war, AC football was winless and baseball was struggling. But a turnaround began the following year. That change of fortune coincided with the arrival on campus of one of AC’s finest athletes.
Terrill, TX lies just 20 minutes east of Dallas. It’s the hometown of actor Jamie Foxx and numerous professional athletes. 100 years ago this spring, it was the home of recent Terrill Tiger athlete and graduate Ray Morehart. In the fall of 1918, he arrived in Sherman to continue his studies and play some ball.
AC football finally ended its losing streak in 1918, notching two victories. Morehart was given running back duties as a freshman, and performed well. He also showed promise in 1919 playing baseball. As the years in Sherman rolled by, it became increasingly clear that his primary talents lay on the diamond.
1919, according to Coach Ewing Freeland, would be the “comeback year.” A football star at Vanderbilt before the war, Freeland accepted the vacant coaching job at AC after the war and anxiously began the work of restoring the success of the pre-war years in Sherman. With Morehart moved to quarterback, it wouldn’t take long.
The 1919 Roos notched the first winning season for football since Cecil Grigg’s 1913 team. AC posted wins over TCU, UNT, and SE Oklahoma, the last of which saw Morehart throw for three TDs. A 12-10 4th quarter lead over Baylor in Waco was lost on a last minute interception return for a TD; Morehart scored one of the two Roo touchdowns. SMU handed the Roos a lopsided 42-0 defeat, but that loss and the score would not be forgotten in 1920. AC ended the season with a convincing 46-0 win over rival Trinity.
Morehart was shortstop on a 1920 Roo baseball team that split a double header with Rice, topped SMU in a three game series, and played competitively against A&M and Baylor. According to the Chromascope, he was “fast” and productive “with the stick”.
Anticipation was high for football in 1920, as a new post-war class arrived at AC. That team, with Morehart as captain, would be one of the most dominant in Roo history.
Chapter 1: Terrill
Chapter 2: Sherman
Chapter 3: Chicago
Chapter 4: St. Petersburg
Chapter 5: New York
Chapter 6: MurderROOS Row, Part 1.
Chapter 7: MurderROOS Row, Part 2.
Chapter 8: MurderROOS Row, Part 3.
Chapter 9: Texas
Chapter 2: Sherman
The 1920 AC football team was led by what sportswriters referred to as the ‘fastest backfield in the state”. This group was comprised of Morehart (who moved from QB to halfback), Lee Jones, and Hub Hollis. The Roos began their 1920 campaign at a new home. Luckett Field (located at the corner of Luckett Street & Lewis Street) was replaced with Cashion Field, which ran east-west at roughly the spot located by Hughey Gym.
The 1920 Roos were nearly unbeatable. AC captured a TIAA title with a 6-1 conference record, outscoring opponents 330-9. Competitive losses to Baylor and TCU (against whom Morehart ran for a 70-yard TD) were offset by huge wins over SE Oklahoma (62-0), Hendrix (61-0), Southwestern (28-0), and Trinity (21-0). The 42-0 loss to SMU in 1919 was avenged with a 42-0 win over the Mustangs in 1920. Morehart scored late in the game, motivated by a team desire to revenge the prior year’s score.
The highlight of the season was a win against Daniel Baker (now Howard Payne). For four quarters, AC scored at will. Hollis and Jones had multiple TDs each, and Morehart found the end zone five times. His 5 TDs and 30 points remain an all-time AC game record. By the merciful end, the Roos had defeated Daniel Baker by a score of 109-0. Morehart captured All-TIAA halfback honors to go with the 1920 conference title.
1921 AC baseball notched wins over TCU, SMU, Trinity & Rice. Nicknamed “Egg” by his teammates, Morehart moved from shortstop to second, a position where he would remain for the rest of his career. The highlight of the season was a 3-0 shutout of the Rice Owls against future major leaguer Eddie Dyer. Morehart’s success on the athletic field was so great that he began to receive offers to transfer to larger schools in the Southwest Conference. He rejected them all, remaining loyal to AC until the end. “I started here and I will finish here, whatever the cost required,” he told his teammates.
Dartmouth’s Gene Neely was the new football coach for 1921, and both Morehart and teammate Lee Jones were photographed and featured in the Dallas Morning News. Neely’s squad was also previewed in the Austin American Statesman, in an article placed right next to a story about the 1921 baseball season, the New York Yankees, and a recently acquired pitcher named Babe Ruth.
Although AC football failed to defend their TIAA championship, the Roos did post another winning season. Another tough loss to Baylor (17-13) also saw another standout game from Morehart; he returned a punt 85 yards for a touchdown. The season included a 17-7 win over SMU at Fair Park Stadium in Dallas. In the game, Morehart did something extraordinary while rushing for a 67-yard TD. From “Once Upon a Time” by Roo Football Manager James Creighton:
“On this play Morehart did something seldom seen on any football field. Half tackled from the back of the helmet, [he] reached up, broke the chin strap, and left his would be tackler with an empty helmet.”
Morehart finished the 1921 football season, his last, as an All-TIAA halfback once again.
His last season of AC baseball began in the spring of 1922. Morehart was Captain, leading his squad to wins against TCU, Texas State, and Trinity. On May 18th, he played his last game at Cashion Field against Hardin-Simmons. After the final out, he walked back to his dorm to meet with a scout from the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. There, on the steps of Luckett Hall, Morehart signed a minor league contract. The kid from Terrill went from Roo to professional after the short walk we Roos have taken hundreds of times.
Morehart was Senior Class President in 1922, and graduated that May. He was awarded the Hoxey Thompson cash prize for “best all round man” at Austin College. But it was a different, unique, one-time award that he treasured most.
From “Once Upon a Time”:
“One last, but sentimental gesture, remained, before the Seniors of 1922 took their departure. For some weeks prior to the end of school, it had been decided that the departure of Raymond Morehart should not be without some material evidence of appreciation. Consequently, a club was formed long before the end of school for the purchase of a large cup which should bear a suitable inscription along with his athletic record.”
“On the night of graduation, Morehart was summoned to Room 32 [in Luckett Hall] and there presented with his trophy. At the time Ray could barely stammer his thanks, but later that evening after he had won the Hoxey Thompson prize, he was heard to say anybody could have the money, but the cup……never.”
Chapter 1: Terrill
Chapter 2: Sherman
Chapter 3: Chicago
Chapter 4: St. Petersburg
Chapter 5: New York
Chapter 6: MurderROOS Row, Part 1.
Chapter 7: MurderROOS Row, Part 2.
Chapter 8: MurderROOS Row, Part 3.
Chapter 9: Texas
Chapter 3: Chicago
Ray Morehart spent the summer of 1922 with the Flint (MI) Vehicles playing Class B ball in the Michigan-Ontario League. He batted .309 with 356 plate appearances over 94 games. When the season ended, he headed back to Sherman. Gene Neely had left AC, and the head football coach position was open. AC administration decided not to fill the position with one adult, but instead with three kids. The “Kid Coaches”. Joining Morehart as football coach was former UT football player David Pena and former AC baseball star Charlie Robertson.
By the fall of 1922, Robertson was already nationally famous. Earlier that spring, the Chicago White Sox ace had accomplished the near impossible by tossing a perfect game against Ty Cobb and the Tigers in Detroit. The major leagues would not see another perfect game until a New York Yankee (Don Larsen) threw one in the 1956 World Series.
Under the leadership of the Kid Coaches, AC had one of its finest seasons. The Kangaroos repeated their 1920 success by capturing the 1922 TIAA title with a 6-2 record. AC even headed down to Austin and played the UT Longhorns competitively for three quarters, before falling 19-0 at the end. The Longhorns had won all 7 SWC titles since the conference’s birth in 1915; they’d win #8 in 1922. The season also included wins over TCU (20-7) and SMU (10-7). For 11 of 12 quarters against SWC foes in 1922, Roo football was arguably the best team in the Southwest.
By the spring of 1923, Morehart was back in Flint. In 89 games and 350 plate appearances, he had over 100 hits for the second year in a row. He repeated the feat in 1924, notching 112 hits. 27 were for extra bases. It was Morehart’s speed and defense however, that caught the eye of big league scouts. His fielding percentage at second base in Michigan consistently led the team. And on the base paths? He was blazing fast. A call up to a higher league was likely just a matter of time.
When it came, it was a big one. On August 10th, 1924, the White Sox executed a trade with the Pirates that sent Morehart all the way to the Majors. The Detroit Free Press reported that “Morehart is considered by critics around the circuit as the best second baseman the league has produced in the six years of its existence.” The Roo was headed to 14-year old Comiskey Park in Chicago.
Morehart’s first game with the White Sox was on an east coast road trip. At Fenway Park on August 13th, he went 0-2 with a walk and stolen base in a 6-0 loss to the Boston Red Sox. In the second game of a double header, Morehart got his first hit (a double) in a 4-1 loss. He finished the 1924 season with appearances in 31 games, 20 hits, 17 walks, and 3 stolen bases. The White Sox finished in the AL cellar, but did include the Roo on a post-season team exhibition tour of Europe.
He was sent down to the Class A Wichita Izzies for the 1925 season to gain more experience, which worked out well for the Roos. Sherman’s proximity to southern Kansas allowed Morehart to assist AC baseball in March. That year in Wichita, he had his best statistical season ever, hitting .330 over 165 games and 655 plate appearances. 54 of his 216 hits were for extra bases; his on base + slugging percentage of .786 led the team.
Charles Comiskey’s Player-Manager Eddie Collins was pleased with Morehart’s development, and called him back up to the Majors on January 14th, 1926. Collins had been with the White Sox Organization for a decade; while he was present during the infamous “Black Sox” scandal of 1919, he had not been implicated in throwing the Series alongside the famous “eight”.
Morehart was much improved in 1926 for the White Sox, batting .318 over 208 plate appearances in 73 games. His teammate included Longhorn Bibb Falk, against whom the Roos had competed in 1922. AC baseball had also faced C.E. “Pat” Olsen and the Aggies in 1922. The Aggie and Longhorn baseball stadiums are named after Olsen & Falk, respectively.
Morehart made the regional press for his utility role as a Collins backup and understudy on August 11th. Later that month on August 31st, 1926, he made national news. That day, he set a major league record that may never be broken.
The White Sox were in Detroit for a double header against the Tigers, and Morehart woke up that day ready to play ball. From the Chicago Tribune:
“In the first game, [Morehart] went up to the plate seven times, getting four singles, a double, and being hit once by a pitched ball. Only once was the enemy able to get him out. In the second game, he was at the plate five times, getting three singles, a double, and a base on balls. His batting average for the day was .900, which sounds more like a fielding average.”
On August 31st, 1926, Ray Morehart had 9 hits for the Chicago White Sox. The major league record for hits in a double header is 9 (Ray Morehart, shared with 3 others). The major league record for hits in a single game is also 9 (Johnny Burnett, Cleveland Indians, 7/10/1932, in an 18 extra-inning game). Over approximately 25,000 days of major league play spanning three centuries, no batter has ever had more hits on a single day.
Morehart spent the 1926 season in a reserve role, backing up second baseman Collins for most of the year. At season’s end, he had established himself in the majors as a valuable utility second baseman.
As luck would have it, that’s exactly what the 1927 New York Yankees were looking for.
Chapter 1: Terrill
Chapter 2: Sherman
Chapter 3: Chicago
Chapter 4: St. Petersburg
Chapter 5: New York
Chapter 6: MurderROOS Row, Part 1.
Chapter 7: MurderROOS Row, Part 2.
Chapter 8: MurderROOS Row, Part 3.
Chapter 9: Texas
Chapter 4: St. Petersburg
Col. Jacob Ruppert’s New York Yankees were not even “New York’s team”, let alone an American institution. That honor belonged to John McGraw’s New York Giants, who had played in 9 World Series up to 1926. The Giants held spring training in Texas, and played Austin College in the Spring of 1908 & 1909 at Luckett Field on campus. Christy Mathewson pitched, McGraw was umpire, and the Giants beat the Roos both years.
The home of the Giants was the famous Polo Grounds in Upper Manhattan; the Giants also allowed the Yankees to play there, until Yankees Stadium was completed in 1923. That same year, the Yankees finally won their first World Series title. But none had come since. The 1926 squad made it to the World Series, but lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games.
The 1927 squad was full of talent. All that was needed was to fill in a few missing pieces of the puzzle. In the winter of 1927, the Yankees were expected to be a great team. By the end of that year, many were already calling them the greatest baseball team ever.
Some of the biggest names in the history of baseball were on the roster of the 1927 Yankees:
Babe Ruth: Right Field. The Sultan of Swat. 714 career home runs.
Earle Combs: Center Field. Baseball Hall of Fame (HOF).
Bob Meusel: Left Field. 1925 AL home run leader; over 1000 career RBIs.
Mark Koenig: Shortstop. 1,190 lifetime hits over 11 seasons.
Joe Dugan: Third Base. One of the best defensive basemen of his era.
Tony Lazzeri: Second Base. Baseball HOF.
Lou Gehrig: First Base. The Iron Horse. 2,130 consecutive games.
Pat Collins: Catcher. 10-year veteran of major league baseball.
The 1927 Yankees would acquire the nickname “Murderers’ Row” to describe the brutal effectiveness of their batting order. The phrase is usually made in reference to the first six hitters in the order for most of the season:
#1 – Earle Combs
#2 – Mark Koenig
#3 – Babe Ruth
#4 – Lou Gehrig
#5 – Bob Meusel
#6 – Tony Lazzeri
The 1927 Yankees were not just about hitting. They had one of the strongest four man pitching rotations in baseball as well:
Herb Pennock: 240 career wins and 1,227 career KOs. Baseball HOF.
Waite Hoyt: 237 career wins and 1,206 career KOs. Baseball HOF.
Urban Shocker: 187 career wins and 983 career KOs.
Dutch Ruether: 137 career wins and 708 career KOs.
The Yankees were managed by Miller Huggins, a veteran player and then manager for a quarter century. The starting lineup for the team was the most solid in the league, but Huggins knew that utility players were key in the event of injury. On January 13th, 1927, the Yankees executed a trade with the White Sox that included future Hall of Famer Leo Durocher being sent to the minors. In the deal, New York acquired utility catcher Johnny Grabowski and utility infielder Ray Morehart. The trade was featured in the Chicago Daily Tribune with Morehart’s photo; the Roo was on his way to Yankee Stadium. From Harvey Frommer’s book “Five O’clock Lighting”:
“It seemed like a minor transaction then, getting backup catcher Grabowski and left handed-hitting utility player Morehart, who had begun his major league career with the White Sox as a 25-year-old in 1924. But Morehart and Grabowski would be two useful supplementary pieces of the 1927 team.”
The success of the 1927 Yankees is only partly explained by their talent. Just as important was their hunger. It had been 4 long years since their first Series win in 1923, and the loss to the Cardinals in 1926 left unfinished business. The entire squad was focused on the season with a seriousness that left sportswriters impressed. Even Babe Ruth, famous for his large appetites, showed up to spring training 20 pounds lighter and in the best shape of his life. In 1927, there would be no tomfoolery, not even from the Bambino himself.
The Yankees spent spring training in St. Petersburg, Florida. Morehart showed promise early; a Florida paper reported that he had “been doing some neat work with the glove and stick since his acquisition by the Yanks.” According to the Davenport Daily Times, Babe Ruth had declared that “All’s Well With The Yanks” thanks in part to the fact that Morehart had “shown so much in camp.”
“As Ruth Goes, So Go the Yankees”, announced the New Castle News that spring. The paper noted that last year’s AL pennant winner had “added little strength to [the] team since last season.”
However, some rookies looked likely to play key roles. “It has been intimated rather strongly in the Yankee camp that Ray Morehart, the pride and joy of Terrill, Texas, may do himself a lot of good here. He is being touted as the club’s regular second baseman.”
The New Castle News hinted that Morehart might start because of the injury prone Mark Koenig. The East Liverpool News did the same. “You Can Go Fishin’ Today, Koenig. [Morehart] May Break into the Yank Infield.”, reported the Ohio paper. The article also criticized the Pirate and White Sox organizations for making the mistake of releasing Morehart, and gave a shout out to the Roo’s career at Austin College in Sherman. In late March, the Muncie Sunday Star also brought up the rumors that Morehart might replace Koenig, and published a photo of the Yankee infield (Gehrig-Lazzeri-Koenig-Dugan) with Morehart intruding.
The team was in fine form in the fine weather, and concluded training with a series of exhibition games against minor league clubs as their train slowly made the trip north to New York. Ruth, Gehrig, and the Yankees were a huge draw. Crowds were immense, and gate receipts for the club were handsome. Ruth especially was a fan favorite, and he soaked up the adoring affection of kids during the trip.
Most of the games were not close, as few clubs could stay with the 1927 Yankees. Their pitching was stellar, and their bats never went quiet. As the Yankees at long last made their way to New York City for two final exhibitions against the Brooklyn Dodgers before Opening Day, Ruth had hit .315 during spring training exhibitions. That average was good enough for second place in the Yankee lineup.
First place went to a utility second baseman who hit .373 in 51 at-bats. Ray Morehart.
Chapter 1: Terrill
Chapter 2: Sherman
Chapter 3: Chicago
Chapter 4: St. Petersburg
Chapter 5: New York
Chapter 6: MurderROOS Row, Part 1.
Chapter 7: MurderROOS Row, Part 2.
Chapter 8: MurderROOS Row, Part 3.
Chapter 9: Texas
Chapter 5: New York
Opening Day at Yankee Stadium was cold and bleak. Nevertheless, the Yankee bats were hot from the start of the season. Ray Morehart saw his first action in a pinch running role on April 14th at Yankee Stadium, scoring on a sacrifice by Earle Combs. He was inserted into the lineup three times in April. By the end of that month, the Yankees were in first place in the American League.
In May, Morehart’s utility value increased. The Kangaroo saw action in 13 games that month. On May 4th against the Washington Senators, Morehart walked and advanced to third. A Babe Ruth single brought him home in a 7-4 loss.
America was celebrating more than just prosperity and great baseball in 1927. At 7:52 a.m. on Friday, May 20th, the Spirit of St. Louis slowly took off from New York’s Roosevelt field headed east. Pilot Charles Lindbergh was attempting to become the first person to successfully navigate a non-stop flight between North America and Europe. The Yankees were in Cleveland that afternoon. While the shores of Newfoundland were disappearing behind Lindbergh, Morehart was sent in to pinch hit in a ninth inning rally that fell short in a 2-1 Yankees loss.
The Yankees and Indians met again the next day at 1:30 p.m. The game went into extras, and Morehart was put in as a pinch runner in the 11th. The rally failed, Cleveland won it in the 12th, and the game ended at 4:32 p.m. At that very moment, Lindbergh was making his final approach to Le Bourget Aerodrome in France, where an enthusiastic crowd awaited. He touched down 20 minutes later, at 4:52 p.m. (EST) on Saturday, May 21st.
The success of the 1927 Yankees is actually due to three factors, not two. The talent of the squad was obviously key, as was the commitment and focus of the team. But another detail is often overlooked. With one major exception, the starting lineup and pitching rotation were remarkably free of injury. That exception occurred on May 30th, when shortstop Mark Koenig re-injured his already problematic wrist in the second game of a double header.
At the time of the injury, the Yankees were in first place with a solid-but-not-yet-historic record. Manager Miller Huggins had to figure out how to replace the injured Koenig, and decided to move Hall of Famer Tony Lazzeri from second base to short stop. Huggins asked Ray Morehart to fill in at second.
The greatest team in baseball history was asking for help from a Roo. Players looking out from the home dugout in Yankee stadium during the summer of 1927 would see Morehart at second and Gehrig at first, with Babe Ruth between them in the distance in right.
Ray Morehart was the starting second baseman for the 1927 Yankees over the next 47 games; the Yankees won 36 of them. At the time of his first start in Philadelphia on May 31st, the Yankee record stood at 27-14 (0.659). After his last start in St. Louis on July 18th, the Yankees had improved their record to an astounding 63-25 (0.716), a winning percentage not far off of their final record of 110-44 (0.714). The Yankees won a ridiculous 77% of their ballgames over that 47 game span.
With Morehart on Murderer’s Row, the team went from great to legendary.
Chapter 1: Terrill
Chapter 2: Sherman
Chapter 3: Chicago
Chapter 4: St. Petersburg
Chapter 5: New York
Chapter 6: MurderROOS Row, Part 1.
Chapter 7: MurderROOS Row, Part 2.
Chapter 8: MurderROOS Row, Part 3.
Chapter 9: Texas
Chapter 6: MurderROOS Row, Part 1.
The Yankees opened a 13-game home stand on June 2nd, and Morehart immediately began to shine as a starter. On June 5th, a diving catch by Morehart and throw to Gehrig turned a double play and ended a threat in a 5-3 Yankees win over Detroit. Three days later on June 8th, he was briefly the toast of New York City. The 1927 Yankees were nicknamed “Five O’clock Lightning” due to their late inning dramatics around 5 p.m., and on this day Morehart provided the lightning.
The Yankees found themselves down 11-6 at home to the second place White Sox in the bottom of the ninth. A dramatic comeback fueled by Ruth, Gehrig, & Lazzeri tied the game at 11 and sent it into extra innings. In the bottom of the 11th, Yankee Cedric Durst led off with a triple. Tony Lazzeri was intentionally walked. With darkness approaching and Yankee fans on their feet, Ray Morehart walked up to the batter’s box. He slapped a single to right on the first pitch, and Durst walked home with the winning run.
Yankee fans exploded as Ruth, Gehrig, and teammates rushed towards first to celebrate with the Roo. Morehart finished the game with a run, a stolen base, and two hits……including the game winning RBI walk off. “A winning single from the bat of little Ray Morehart pierced the gathering darkness in Yankee Stadium along about supper-time Wednesday and broke the spell of the season’s most exciting ball game,” screamed the Decatur Herald.
Yankee fans barely had time to recover from the excitement when more Roo heroics arrived the next day. With one out and a 4-3 lead in the 7th, Morehart smacked a three run home run to left to put the game away. The Yankee faithful cheers had barely subsided when Babe Ruth followed with a triple to left of his own, after which he would score stealing home. The Yankees won 8-3, and Morehart finished with 3 hits, 3 RBIs, and 2 runs scored. “Morehart’s Homer Gives Yanks Third Win Over Chicago,” reported the St. Joseph Herald-Press. The Akron Beacon Journal even gave the Roo top billing over the Babe: “Yanks Take Third Straight from Chicago Team as Morehart, Ruth Star.” The next day, Huggins moved Morehart to #2 in the order, behind Hall of Famer Earle Combs and ahead of #3 Ruth and #4 Gehrig. Just like that, the 1927 Yankees had become “MurderROOS Row”.
Two days later on June 11th, Morehart led off the bottom of the third in a scoreless game against Cleveland. He smashed a double to left, and a wild pitch to Babe Ruth advanced him to third. From that vantage point, he watched as the Sultan of Swat launched a homerun to deep centerfield. Morehart trotted home, and awaited the Babe at home plate to congratulate him. Ruth hit a second home run later in the game. The Babe ended the day with 20 home runs, well on his way to his iconic 1927 record of 60 home runs in a single season. New York won, 6-4.
Morehart had a hit, a walk, and two runs scored in an 8-7 loss to Cleveland the next day on June 12th. Down 2 in the bottom of the ninth, he started a rally with a single, advanced to third after Gehrig reached first on an error, and later scored on a Cedric Durst groundout. But the rally fizzled with two on and two out.
By mid-June, the importance of Morehart and other reserves was becoming clear. “Comfortable Position of Yankees Attributed to Fine Reserve Power”, declared The Brooklyn Daily Eagle on June 15th. “With Mark Koenig on the hospital list, the good work continues with Lazzeri manning shortstop and Ray Morehart cavorting around the keystone territory.”
Thursday, June 16th was Charles Lindbergh Day at Yankee Stadium. The instantly legendary pilot was honored before the game against the St. Louis Browns, and Ray Morehart was in fine form once again. With a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the third, he led off with a single to center. Ruth followed with a single, and Gehrig answered with a single of his own. Utility outfielder Ben Paschal walked into the batter’s box with the bases loaded: Gehrig on first, Ruth on second, a Roo on third. Paschal smacked a single to left, scoring Morehart and Ruth. Morehart started the day applauding Lindbergh, and ended it with a sacrifice, a hit, and one run scored in an 8-1 Yankees win.
Friday, June 17th was not Charles Lindbergh Day. But it was Ray Morehart Day again. In the bottom of the 8th with the game tied 2-2, Morehart led off with a single and advanced to third on pitcher Ernie Nevers’s throwing error. A Cedric Durst sacrifice brought him home, and the Yankees held on for a 3-2 victory.
The 13-game home stand came to an end on June 18th against the Browns. Down 2 runs in the bottom of the 1st, Combs hit a single to center and Morehart reached first on a second base error. Gehrig slammed a home run to deep right field, giving the Yankees a 3-2 lead. Up 2 runs in the bottom of the 8th, Morehart reached first again on a single. For the second time that day, he watched from first as Gehrig launched another home run to deep right field. The Yankees won, 8-4. For most of 1927, Ruth and Gehrig were locked in an epic home run battle. Gehrig’s bat cooled as summer turned to fall, and the Iron Horse ended with 47 to Ruth’s 60.
The Yankees left the Bronx and headed east towards 15-year old Fenway Park. A Boston Massacre awaited the Red Sox.
Chapter 1: Terrill
Chapter 2: Sherman
Chapter 3: Chicago
Chapter 4: St. Petersburg
Chapter 5: New York
Chapter 6: MurderROOS Row, Part 1.
Chapter 7: MurderROOS Row, Part 2.
Chapter 8: MurderROOS Row, Part 3.
Chapter 9: Texas
Chapter 7: MurderROOS Row, Part 2.
New York headed to Fenway for a double header on June 19th against Boston, but the change in venue did nothing to cool the bat of Morehart. In Game #1, his single in the top of the 1st scored Earle Combs. Babe Ruth followed with a single, advancing Morehart to third. A Lou Gehrig single sent him home. The Yankees defeated the Red Sox in Game #1 by a score of 7-3.
Game #2 began after a break, and the top of the 1st again proved deadly for Boston. Morehart slapped a single to left, and advanced to second on a Babe Ruth walk. Lou Gehrig went opposite field with a homerun over the Green Monster, scoring Morehart and Ruth. The Yankees won, 7-1.
The Curse of the Bambino began for Boston in 1920, when owner Harry Frazee traded Babe Ruth to fund his musical “No, No, Nanette”. Ruth might have been the primary reason for the curse, but Ray Morehart wasn’t helping to alleviate it. On June 22nd, a Morehart double off of the Green Monster scored Johnny Grabowski from second and extended the Yankees lead to 3-0. New York would hold on for a 3-2 victory.
Red Sox pain continued the next day. On June 23rd, Morehart walked in the top of the 1st. A Ruth sacrifice moved him to second, and a Gehrig single advanced him to third. A Cedric Durst groundout brought him home. The Yankees never lost their lead, and won 11-4. Morehart finished with a hit, walk, and one run scored.
By late June, a home run race between Ruth and Gehrig was emerging. Gehrig had 21 to Ruth’s 24, and the Allentown Morning Call did a piece on the Iron Horse and his attempt to keep pace with the Sultan of Swat. “Lou Gehrig isn’t another Babe Ruth for the reason that there never will be another Ruth. Yet Gehrig is the nearest approach to Ruth that modern baseball knows and doubtless deserves to be rated with the great sluggers of the past.” The article focused on the difficulty of pitching around Murderer’s Row, and even mentioned the role of Morehart. “Scramble those Yankee hitters any way you will and the result always will be the same – a knotty problem for any pitcher any day in the week. In this connection it is interesting to note the steady mounting of Ray Morehart’s batting average. A gain of ninety points [to .240] means that Ray has been slapping the ball forcefully and frequently.”
Back at Yankee Stadium on June 26th, New York defeated Philadelphia 7-3. Morehart singled, and advanced to second on an error. A Durst single moved him to third, and a Gehrig single brought him home. The next day, Morehart scored from third on a wild pitch to Gehrig after getting on base with a walk. The Yankees won, 6-2.
The Red Sox were in Yankee Stadium on June 29th, and the curse was in full effect. In the bottom of the 3rd down 2-0, Morehart walked. He scored on a Ruth double to right. The comeback was on, and the Yankees would win 8-2.
If Boston wanted a reprieve on June 30th, they wouldn’t get it. The Yankees closed out June with a 13-6 win over the Red Sox. In the bottom of the 1st, a Morehart single and Ruth walk put runners on first and second. Gehrig crushed a homerun to right, scoring both. In the bottom of the 4th, Morehart singled. From first base, he watched Ruth slug his 25th home run of the season to right field. He jogged home and awaited Ruth at the plate. In the bottom of the 5th, Morehart singled again. From first base, he watched Ruth smash a double to right. This time, Morehart sprinted home, arriving safely. He finished the day with 3 runs and 2 hits.
June eventually turned to July, but nothing could stop the blistering pace of the Yankees in the summer of 1927.
Chapter 1: Terrill
Chapter 2: Sherman
Chapter 3: Chicago
Chapter 4: St. Petersburg
Chapter 5: New York
Chapter 6: MurderROOS Row, Part 1.
Chapter 7: MurderROOS Row, Part 2.
Chapter 8: MurderROOS Row, Part 3.
Chapter 9: Texas
Chapter 8: MurderROOS Row, Part 3.
Every fan was awake in the city that never sleeps. The Yankees had a record of 52-21 on July 4th, and New Yorkers had the day off. There was really only one thing to do on a bright, sunny Independence Day in Manhattan: watch Murderer’s Row do their thing. Amazingly, nearly 73,000 fans crammed into Yankee stadium to see New York take on the Washington Senators in a double header. It was the largest crowd to ever see a baseball game. The Yanks would give the home town fans a lot of reasons to cheer.
Already down 8-1 to the Yankees, Washington sent in Walter Johnson in the bottom of the 5th for relief. Johnson, in his final year of a 20 season Hall of Fame career, would later be one of the “first five” inaugurated in the Baseball Hall of Fame (alongside Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson, and Ruth).
Johnson held the Yankees scoreless for three innings, but Murderer’s Row was up in the bottom of the 8th. Combs tripled to center. Ray Morehart doubled, scoring Combs. Ruth singled, scoring Morehart. Gehrig homered. The top of the order hit for the cycle on four at-bats, and the Yankees won Game #1, 12-1. Game #2 would bring more of the same.
Morehart walked in the bottom of the 1st. A Ruth single moved him to third, and a Gehrig double brought him home. He singled in the bottom of the 2nd. A Ruth triple brought him home. Morehart walked in the bottom of the 6th. A Ruth walk loaded the bases, and a Gehrig grand slam home run scored all four. Morehart ended Game #2 with 3 runs and 2 hits. America celebrated its 151st birthday amidst an unprecedented prosperity, and New Yorkers watched their home town team demolish Washington by a score of 21-1.
It wasn’t Independence Day on July 5th, but the Yankee machine rolled on as usual. Morehart singled in the bottom of the 1st, and scored on a Gehrig single. In the bottom of the 3rd, Morehart slammed a triple to left. A Ruth double allowed him to trot home. The Yankees beat the Senators, 7-6.
New York was at Navin Field in Detroit on July 8th, the site of Roo Charlie Robertson’s perfect game five years earlier. Morehart singled to center in the first, scoring Earle Combs. In the second, a Ruth homerun brought him home after yet another single by the Roo. Morehart walked in the 4th, and moved to second on a Ruth walk. A Gehrig single brought him around for yet another run. The Yankees won, 10-8.
“Yanks Have Qualified as A Really Great Team”, reported the Appleton Post-Crescent in understated fashion. And how so? “The Yankees showed to those who appreciate things of that sort a flexibility of defense and a store of reserve strength which was delightful to behold. Three of their regular players were out of the game with slight but sufficient injuries. The detraction of three regular players from any team is usually a handicap and a good alibi for defeat. But what happened to the Yankees?”
The Post-Crescent detailed the work of Yankee reserves, including Morehart. “[Huggins] put Ray Morehart at second and Ray drove in the winning run in an eleven inning battle and sewed up another game with a home run.” The result? “All of which is recited to show that the Yankees not only have a good ball club, but also that they have as good reserve strength as any team in the league.
July 9th brought more Morehart misery to Detroit. The Roo walked in the bottom of the 1st, and a Ruth homerun allowed him to jog home. He reached on a first base error in the fourth, and scored on yet another Ruth home run. Morehart singled in the 7th, and advanced to third on a Ruth double. A Gehrig groundout allowed him to sneak home with a run. Morehart ended the day with 3 runs, 2 walks, and 1 hit. Detroit fell, 19-7.
The Yankees were in Cleveland on July 12th, and pitched a 7-0 shutout. Morehart doubled home Combs in the top of the 3rd, and later scored on a Gehrig double. He doubled home Grabowski in the top of the 9th, and then casually jogged home after Ruth smacked a home run to deep right field. The Bronx Bombers were behind 3-2 the next day, when Morehart reached on a second base error. A Ruth double to center scored him and tied the game. The Yankees eventually won, 5-3.
New York finished the Cleveland series with a 10-9 win on July 15th. Morehart doubled in a run in the top of the 5th to tie the game at 3-3, but Cleveland later answered with six runs of their own. Down 9-3 in the 8th, Morehart walked. A Ruth walk moved him to second, and a Gehrig double scored them both. The comeback was on. The Yankees scored 7 runs over the last two innings to take the victory.
The final series of Ray Morehart’s 47-game starting stretch was in St. Louis. The Yankees beat the Browns 5-2 on July 16th. Morehart walked in the top of the 3rd, and a Gehrig single scored him. He singled in the top of the 7th, and a Gehrig double sent him racing to the plate. A 2-1 deficit on July 17th was erased after a Morehart walk in the top of the 6th was followed by a Gehrig walk and Bob Meusel single. He scored from second to tie the game, and the Yankees eventually won 5-4. Morehart started his third and final game on July 18th, a 10-6 victory over the Browns.
As the Yankees headed to Chicago to take on the White Sox, Mark Koenig was declared 100% healthy and Morehart resumed his utility role. Over the 47 game span, the Yankees had increased their AL pennant lead from 2 games to 12 with a 36-11 (0.766) record. Morehart started 26 of those games at friendly Yankee Stadium, where New York posted a 20-6 record.
As Morehart’s unforgettable summer on Murderer’s Row wound down, newspapers across the country reported on “The Talk of the Town” from little Sherman, TX. “Ray Morehart, Reserve Infielder, Has Proven Valuable Cog to Yankees in Race.”
The Yankees never looked back. The Roo had done his duty.
Chapter 1: Terrill
Chapter 2: Sherman
Chapter 3: Chicago
Chapter 4: St. Petersburg
Chapter 5: New York
Chapter 6: MurderROOS Row, Part 1.
Chapter 7: MurderROOS Row, Part 2.
Chapter 8: MurderROOS Row, Part 3.
Chapter 9: Texas
Chapter 9:Texas
Morehart saw action in 12 games after July 18thin his old pinch hitter/runner role.His last game was at Yankee Stadium on September 29th.Morehart slapped a single to right in the bottom of the 8th, Ruth hit home runs #58 and #59, and the Yankees picked up win #108 in a 15-4 defeat of the Senators.The next day, Ruth hit his record breaking 60th home run.
The season was all but over as summer turned to fall.The Yankees were uncatchable, and stayed healthy for the rest of the year.Their regular season win total of 110 has only rarely been surpassed, and their regular season winning percentage remains the highest ever for a World Series winner.After wrapping up the AL pennant, New York defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates in an uneventful 4 game sweep.Morehart watched all four games from the dugout.
Morehart finished his 1927 Yankees season with a respectable batting average of .256 (the MLB average in 2017 was .254).Over 73 games, he notched 29 walks and 50 hits, including 10 extra base hits.He scored 45 runs, nearly all over the 47 game stretch in which he started.
1927 was the pinnacle for Ray Morehart.Although he had a lot of baseball left to play, the Yankees organization decided to release him after the championship season.The transaction once again involved future Hall of Famer Leo Durocher, who was acquired as an infield replacement for Morehart.Durocher had a 50-year career in major league baseball as a player and manager, retiring as skipper of a 1973 Houston Astros team that included Cesar Cedeno & J.R. Richard.
The release of Morehart caused a good deal of head scratching around the country:
The Allentown Morning Call:
“About Morehart:Ball fans never will understand why competent players are waived out of the league and when other clubs need them.It is all Greek to the fans and the owners never make any effort to clear it up.With the passing of Ray Morehart to the minors, the question comes up again:Why did they let him out?While Morehart operated at second for the Yankees they hung up 37 victories and 11 defeats.That was the greatest pace of the campaign, and Morehart certainly did not slow down the Yankees.”
The Brooklyn Daily Eagle:
“Why do club owners and baseball managers allow a player of the caliber of Ray Morehart to be waived out of the big leagues?We have watched Morehart in a number of games and he always impressed us favorably.We liked his spirit for one thing.Gee, how he likes to play baseball!We’d take a chance on a youngster with fighting spirit, speed, a fair hitter, a good fielder, and one who thinks it part of the day’s work to give the fans a dollar’s worth of effort for every 50 cents he is paid.”
Frustrated and determined to make the majors again, Morehart signed with the AA St. Paul (MN) Saints in 1928.There, he had one of his best seasons ever, batting .311 with 203 hits and 56 walks.He also recorded 42 stolen bases. But despite his best efforts, Morehart never played in the majors again.He spent two seasons with St. Paul, the 1930 season with the Columbus Senators, and 1931 with the Toronto Maple Leafs.He finished his career in 1933 with the Class A Dallas Steers.
When Morehart learned that legendary Roo Coach Cecil Grigg was leaving AC for Rice after the 1932 season, he retired from baseball and accepted the head football coaching job in Sherman.The Great Depression was wreaking havoc on the health of Austin College and Roo athletics that year, just as WW1 had done when Morehart arrived on campus in 1918.The prosperity days of New York in 1927 were gone, and the Roo had come full circle.“Former Yank to Coach Austin College,” declared the Abilene Morning News.
Morehart eventually left his playing and coaching days behind.He moved to Dallas, started a family, and built a career in business that lasted for decades.
In 1927, Morehart had gone to New York.Late in his life in 1987, New York came to him.
The Yankees came to Arlington Stadium that summer to face the Texas Rangers, and nobody could stop New York first baseman Don Mattingly.He had hit 5 home runs in 5 straight games, and was looking to extend the streak.With the bases loaded, Mattingly launched a Charlie Hough knuckleball into the right field stands, making it six straight games.The home run was Mattingly’s fourth grand slam of the season, tying a major league baseball record held by former first baseman and Yankee legend Lou Gehrig.
And 87-year old Ray Morehart watched the Mattingly blast from the stands.
The Austin American Statesman caught up with Morehart that evening and got his thoughts on the Yankees and their first baseman:
“The second baseman of the New York Yankees, explaining the power of the first baseman, said ‘he told me the reason he had power was his mother was a good cook.He said he was eating fish out of the Hudson river.I told him, ‘you better be careful.There’s garbage in that river.’He said his mother cooked it real good.’”
“Willie Randolph talking about Don Mattingly?It’s Ray Morehart talking about Lou Gehrig.They were teammates 60 years ago on the team many consider the greatest ever, the 1927 Yankees.Morehart backed up Tony Lazzeri at second base.Morehart, a native Texan, was in the stands at Arlington when Mattingly hit his fourth grand slam of the year.”
Members of the 1927 Yankees slowly began to leave us as the years passed.The most famous was Lou Gehrig.The first baseman contracted ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), which ended his consecutive games played streak at 2,130 in 1939, forced his retirement, and took his life in 1941.Before it did, Gehrig gave us one of baseball’s iconic moments.At his farewell ceremony on July 4, 1939, the dying man told the country that “I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.”
In January 1989, two years after Mattingly’s blast in Arlington, your humble author was a freshman at Austin College living in Luckett Hall and just about to friend the many AC baseball players who would form a core of his Austin College experience.Snow arrived in north Texas that month, a novel experience for me, a south Texas boy.That same month, AC baseball legend Ray Morehart passed away in Dallas.He was one of the last surviving players from the 1927 team.With his passing, only Mark Koenig remained, the shortstop whom Morehart had replaced for 47 glorious games during the summer of 1927.
2018 marks the 100-year anniversary of many noteworthy events on campus.Armistice day was celebrated after a brutal four years of war.Women fought and won the right to enroll as students at AC.Amidst all of this change, Austin College Kangaroo Ray Morehart showed up on campus and began to prepare for his role as part of the greatest baseball team of all time.
Ray Morehart went head-to-head against the Longhorns and Bibb Falk in Austin.He also competed against the Aggies and C. E. “Pat” Olsen in College Station.The fields used today by Texas & Texas A&M are named for Falk & Olsen, respectively.
Roo baseball has played at Baker Field in Sherman since 1974.Maybe it’s time to honor this particular Kangaroo.I dunno about you, but “Baker Field at Morehart Park” certainly has a nice ring to it. J
